From the moment High on Life 2 kicks off, Squanch Games’ sequel makes it abundantly clear that it wants to be bigger, weirder, and more audacious than its predecessor, doubling down on the franchise’s trademark absurdity while trying to knit its off-kilter humor into a more varied game structure. The narrative premise – returning you to the role of a celebrity bounty hunter dragged back into intergalactic chaos to save someone close to you – sets the stage for a road trip through some of the most bizarre backdrops in recent shooter memory. Story beats are punctuated by parodies of nerd culture and unexpected twists that keep the tone unpredictable, and while the script isn’t uniformly sharp – leaning at times on broader jokes rather than clever wit – it does an admirable job expanding the universe without merely rehashing its foundations.
Gameplay largely defines High on Life 2’s identity, and here the sequel makes the most substantial strides over the original. The inclusion of a skateboard as a traversal tool breathes new life into movement, encouraging exploration and rhythmically weaving in with combat encounters when it works as intended. The core shooting mechanics retain the charm of sentient Gatlian weapons – each with distinct personalities and abilities – adding layers to encounters and puzzle moments alike. Yet beneath the creative veneer lie cracks: the balance between weapons isn’t perfect, which had us naturally gravitating toward a handful of favorites, and the skate-into-combat transition occasionally feels at odds with the tighter pacing modern shooters often demand.
Controls on PlayStation 5 feel competent, but not refined to the level the game’s ambition warrants. Targeting and movement generally respond well, but nuanced feeling in the guns themselves is inconsistent; some weapons exude personality without much impact, and others feel markedly stronger without compelling reason to switch. Skateboarding and traversal are intuitive, yet during chaotic combat scenarios the interface can feel muddled, with aiming and movement sometimes competing for focus instead of complementing each other. There’s ambition in the design, and moments of mechanical satisfaction, but in its current state the overall feel oscillates between pleasantly kinetic and slightly unwieldy.
Visually, High on Life 2 delivers a bouquet of striking moments that underline Squanch’s imagination – bizarre creatures, vibrant worlds, and surreal set pieces abound. These are the kinds of environments that beg to be explored and sometimes laughed at. However, the technical execution on PS5 doesn’t consistently live up to that promise. Visual artefacts, slow texture streaming, and rendering choices occasionally result in rough edges, particularly in reflections and shadow work. Performance also teeters with uneven framerate stability at times, a reminder that the Unreal Engine 5 foundation hasn’t been fully optimized for consistent delivery on current hardware. These issues don’t break the experience, but they do make it feel rough around the edges rather than polished.
Audio and character work continue to be a defining aspect of the High on Life series. The cast of Gatlian weapons returns with enough personality to carry many of the game’s funniest moments, even if the absence of a high-profile voice talent from the first game is noticeable in parts. Sound design supports the chaos and comedy, though controller features like haptic feedback are largely under-utilized given the creative breadth elsewhere.
At roughly ten hours for a standard playthrough of the main story, High on Life 2 doesn’t overstay its welcome, and optional side activities pad the experience without feeling superfluous. The story’s variety – from convention parodies to murder mystery elements – means you’re frequently doing something unexpected, which helps sustain momentum.
Ultimately, High on Life 2 is an uneven but enthusiastic sequel that spotlights what makes this quirky franchise compelling while revealing clear areas for refinement. Its imaginative scenarios, comedic voice, and willingness to experiment with traversal and mission design make it worth experiencing for fans of the original and newcomers open to its style. Yet technical roughness and occasional mechanical missteps keep it from the smooth excellence it aspires to. If Squanch continues to tune both performance and balance, this sequel could very well stand as a showcase of creative boldness in a genre that often plays it safe – but as it arrives on PlayStation 5, it’s a wild ride that’s sometimes more chaotic than cohesive.
Score: 7.8/10
Press Play Media 